As you have developed as a musician, you have gained a variety of experience that should be featured on your resume. This may include performance, formal training, informal study and experimentation, composition, and other work experience that demonstrates your responsibility and personal qualities. It may be difficult to format these experiences as a chronological resume; format your experiences as functional areas in a functional music resume.

Place your full legal name and contact information at the head of each page of your resume. This must be present if a potential employer is to contact you for an interview.

Open the body of your resume with a short statement of your goals and your fit for the particular job or opportunity that you are applying for. This informs the reader immediately which opportunity you are interested in and how you are qualified for it, without having to read your resume and figure it out for themselves. For example, "My prior solo performances with Composer A and Theater Company B demonstrate my ability to be successful as a lead performer in your production of Music Show C," or "I have received awards in composition and performance for my prior works, demonstrating the skill I can bring to writing the score for your Music Project D."

Create headings for your major functional areas. These may include solo or small group performances, orchestral performances, compositions, formal education, independent study, teaching, honors and awards, and non-music experience. Include non-music experience such as other jobs and awards that demonstrate your ability to be responsible, punctual and successful, particularly if you are early in your career and have not yet demonstrated these qualities as a professional musician.

Tailor the order of these headings to the specific opportunity you are applying for. If you are seeking an academic position, you may wish to highlight your formal education and teaching experience first. A performance position should highlight the most relevant performance experience first.

Include dates for positions held and major experience. A functional resume that ignores these completely may raise red flags for some employers, who may wonder if you are hiding something, according to Purdue University.

Provide references for your experience, particularly when the experience did not culminate in concrete results, such as a degree, public performance or published composition. These may be included under the functional headings, if the reference can speak only to a specific skill set, or in a separate References section, if the reference can speak to your skills in general. As a musician, you may have spent time independently studying different styles of music or experimenting. This is valuable experience, but if it did not result is something concrete that the reader of your resume can observe, provide a reference who can speak to your work rather than leaving the reader to wonder if you are using it to hide a bad experience.

Tip

Compose a website with samples of your work and direct a reader to visit it at the beginning of your resume. Your professional website can even be featured prominently in your contact information. In the heading, you may list, "Official Website: www.MyMusic.com," or direct the reader to this website in the initial summary. You may also direct the reader to specific pages featuring performances you list under functional headings.

About the Author

Chris Daniels covers advances in nutrition and fitness online. Daniels has numerous certifications and degrees covering human health, nutritional requirements and sports performance. An avid cyclist, weightlifter and swimmer, Daniels has experienced the journey of fitness in the role of both an athlete and coach.